Increase in the incidence of ophthalmic diseases, such as cataracts, keratosis and others, coupled with the growing adoption of surgery is the prime driver of the global ophthalmic knives market. The World Health Organization estimates that cataract is the most common eye ailment, which has caused blindness in 23 million people or 51% of the world’s blindness. The World Health Organization further states that an estimated 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide, of which 246 million people have low vision. Thus, there is a large market for ophthalmic knives owing to an increase in the number of treatments for cataract and national plans for the prevention of blindness.

The technological drivers of the ophthalmic knives market include the growth of the medical devices industry, coupled with the adoption of complimentary diagnostic devices such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT) and others, which are among factors boosting the surgery segment. The adoption of minimal invasive surgical techniques, such as ultramicrotomy and Small Incision Cataract Surgery (SICS), is also boosting the market of advanced diamond-tipped ophthalmic knives.